Thursday, July 22, 2010

Infinite Capacity

Cleveland Amory once commented that people have an infinite capacity to rationalize, especially when it comes to something we want to eat.

Here is another perfect example (warning: very frustrating). And, as is generally the case, "concern" for the environment leads to more factory farmed chickens:

[T]he goal will have to be producing the most meat at the lowest environmental cost. That means fewer free-range cattle and sheep grazing in bucolic pastures and more animals, especially chickens, packed into feedlots or high-density enclosures.

Vegans tend to note those who say they went veg for environmental (or health) concerns, but ignore the people who eat more chickens. As discussed previously, even if an argument is somewhat effective at getting some people to go veg, if it leads to other people substituting chickens for cattle, many, many more animals suffer.

In the end, we shouldn't judge an argument by how compelling we think it should be, but on the bottom line impact it has for the animals.